Pittsburgh has a severe shortage of Black teachers and that’s hurting Black students

Jasmine Thomas’ fourth grade students watch as she reads a card they all signed. (Photo by John Hamilton/PublicSource)

American historian Henry Adams wrote in 1907, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence ends.”

More than a century later those words ring true.

While Adams’ quote did not address the significance of what a teacher looks like, a study released in March by the Institute of Labor Economics suggests a teacher’s race can have a lasting effect on the choices students make.

The study showed that Black students who had one Black teacher in grades 3, 4 or 5 reduced the likelihood of them dropping out and increased by 19 percent their intent to graduate from college.